


Of All the Gin Joints in the World

by alltimelexi



Category: Boondock Saints (Movies), One Direction (Band)
Genre: Brother Feels, Gen, M/M, Zombies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-21
Updated: 2013-03-31
Packaged: 2017-12-05 23:43:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/729231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alltimelexi/pseuds/alltimelexi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Connor and Murphy MacManus are just trying to get through a zombie apocalypse without losing each other. Then they meet Niall Horan, alone and hungry, and can't help but take him in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Violent World

**Author's Note:**

> This story involves real people and fictional people in fictional situations. Some disturbing themes. Written for my friend Rachel.

Connor and Murphy MacManus were not prepared for the zombie apocalypse. Toss anything else at them and they had it covered. They could take being shot at, they could take their friends and their family dying for the cause, they could take prison. What they couldn’t take was the dead rising and the rising panic across the entire world as the plague that could be the destroyer of humanity spread. 

They left Boston early on. They knew being in a city would just make it easier for one of them to get bit and that was one thing they were not going to allow to happen. Each boy was crazy protective over the other, and knowing what a bite did to people… they would avoid it at all odds.

Instead they found themselves travelling constantly. Walking, stealing cars, hitching rides with other people. Whatever they could do to keep moving on. They made their way through all forty-eight-mainland states before stopping in Ohio to take a small break in a house they had found that seemed to have been abandoned long ago.

Apparently they were wrong, because one of the first things they found when doing a search for supplies and anything hidden that might harm them if they slept was a blonde boy curled up and asleep in a bedroom upstairs. He looked like he couldn’t be more than twenty years old and hadn’t eaten in days.

Connor realized with a startled thought that the boy was probably alone, that he most likely hadn’t eaten in awhile. The house was empty of anything even resembling food, but the boy’s always carried something. Murphy had even resorted to hunting down a couple of squirrels a couple of days ago so they’d have something to eat.

Murphy woke the boy up before Connor had decided what he wanted to do about him. The blonde startled awake, looking up at the two men with suspicious blue eyes. 

They don’t coax words out of him for about thirty minutes but eventually the boy opened up and said that his name was Niall and he was nineteen. The boys immediately noticed his Irish accent, curious as to what another Irishman was doing in a home in Akron, Ohio. He shared that he was originally from Ireland, as if the MacManus twins hadn’t been able to guess, and that he had been in America with his friends.

That they had been together when the first wave of the disease hit but had soon been split up. That he didn’t know where they were and yeah, okay, he was very, very hungry. Murphy gave him some of the food they had saved and Connor offered him a drink from his water bottle.

Niall immediately opened up and smiled widely at both boys after he had ate and drank his fill. He shared his whole life story, and Connor and Murphy shared a very censored version of their life as well. They found they both had gone to religious schools in Ireland, and both had spent the majority of their life living with one parent. Niall’s parents had even divorced at the age the twins were when their father left them.

Eventually Niall shared a bit about each of his friends, his face lighting up as he talked about each one. Connor and Murphy let him talk until he ended up falling back asleep. Connor and Murphy looked at each other, communicating without words, and Connor was pleased to see Murphy agreed with him.

They would definitely not be leaving Niall alone when they left tomorrow. At this point, the blonde didn’t really have much of a say. Connor liked him, and he didn’t do well with letting go of people he liked. He had lost to many people by force to let them go by choice. 

Luckily, when Murphy breached the subject the next morning, Niall was happy to pack the small amount of belongings he had and come with him. He slept in the car, and Connor watched in wonder. He had no idea how he could sleep so much, but figured it was probably a teenager thing. He certainly didn’t remember he or Murphy sleeping that much though.

But he looked peaceful when he slept, and a little younger, and almost like a teenager was supposed to look instead of the nervous, suspicious boy that they had first found in the house. So Connor happily let him sleep as long as he wanted, although he did wonder how bad his neck was going to feel the next time they stopped to stretch.

He shared a glance with Murphy, who he could tell was watching Niall as well, and smiled at the small smirk he found on his brother’s face that showed he was thinking the same thing.


	2. Not Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys find Harry in an abandoned diner.

When they found Harry, Connor knew automatically who he was. Niall had described him well and shown both twins pictures of the rest of his friends. Connor and Murphy hadn’t expected to find any of them; in fact, they had discussed once when Niall was asleep, how his friends were probably long gone. Finding Harry was a major accomplishment for Niall and Connor could see the spark in his eyes at the sight of his friend.

Connor watched carefully as Niall rushed forward. Harry was underneath a table in a diner they had stopped at to scavenge for food. Niall didn’t like squirrel, and Connor and Murphy had been stopping more frequently then they used to just to look for food. 

Connor supposed that it was lucky they’d started doing that, now that they had miraculously ran into one of Niall’s best friends. He supposed God was still looking down on them after all. 

Harry was dirty, much dirtier than Niall had been when they’d found him about two months prior. His curls were matted to his head and he looked like something Connor had seen in a horror movie about a boy raised by wolves. His eyes were almost wild, but more surprised to see the blonde boy who was hugging him.

Niall pulled back so Harry could crawl out from under the table and stand up hesitantly. He looked Niall up and down, probably making sure it was actually his friend and not an illusion, before Connor could see a smile cross his face. He watched as Harry threw his arms around Niall and hugged him tightly. The bright smile on Niall’s face made Connor feel good about the entire situation.

He looked at Murphy, who was watching the two friends with a small smile on his face. He looked over at Connor and his smile got brighter. Connor knew he had it written all over his face that they’d be bringing Harry with him. After they got him clean, at least.

Niall started babbling to Harry about the twins, causing Connor to look back and smile fondly at the younger blonde. “They’re really nice, Harry, and guess what they’re from Ireland too! They were living in Boston and I’m so lucky they found me,” Niall said, sounding excited and genuinely happy.

Harry studied each twin, probably trying to keep a closed off look on his face. He was failing pretty badly, especially because one of his arms was still around Niall. Connor knew he and Murphy looked a lot better than Harry did right now, but he still felt pretty self-conscious about the dirt and grime covering he and his twin.

Harry didn’t seem to find though, because eventually he, too, smiled at the twins. Murphy moved closer to Connor, and Connor smiled himself. This could work out great. He had Murphy and now Niall had Harry. Everyone could be happy. Finding one friend was better than finding no friends, at least, and Niall had someone close to his age to keep him company when Connor and Murphy needed to get drunk or be by themselves. They didn’t particularly like leaving Niall alone at all, even when they knew he was safe, because they figured he would get lonely easily. Having Harry around would help immensely.

Niall was the one who demanded Harry get clean before coming with them. Connor found a tap in the kitchen of the old diner and turned it on. Expecting nothing, he was surprised when he got some water. It was clean, even, more than Harry should have hoped for. Unfortunately, it didn’t get any warmer than cold. 

Niall helped Harry wash his hair, smiling through all of Harry’s complaints. Connor could tell Murphy was getting slightly annoyed at the younger boy’s whining, so he reached out to put a hand on his brother’s arm. Murphy instantly relaxed, and Connor couldn’t help but feel completely at ease.

For a minute he even forgot they were surviving the end of the world. When Harry was completely clean, or at least as he could get using only an industrial size sink, Connor went back to looking around for anything that hadn’t perished and was still edible. 

Murphy was helping Harry brush out his hair when Connor came back with a backpack full of canned goods, and he couldn’t help but laugh as Murphy yanked through a particularly tough curl and Harry yelped in pain before pouting up at the older man.

“Try having him give you a tattoo,” Connor said, smiling at Murphy. Murphy tossed him the bird and Harry went pale at the thought. Niall just laughed and shook his head, already used to the stories that Connor shared about his little brother. “He ended up stabbing me in the shoulder,” Connor explained, his accent getting stronger the more he talked.

Murphy just rolled his eyes and continued running the brush through Harry’s hair. “You deserved it, you jackass,” he said calmly, but he was smirking. It looked like 

Harry was having trouble believing the company he was in, especially when Niall went off about how great the twins were once again. “They look mean sometimes but they’re really not, Connor is kind of grouchy sometimes and Murphy always looks sick or mad because he wears his sunglasses and scowls a lot but he’s not he just looks like it and they are really good with guns you should have seen them this time that these zombie freaks were coming after us….”

Harry listened and his expression gradually changed from surprise to awe. Connor felt flattered and a glance at Murphy showed his inflating ego as well. With one final brush through the boy’s hair, Murphy checked him over once more and declared him clean and ready to travel with them.

Niall didn’t stop talking the entire time to the car, and immediately curled into Harry’s side when they climbed into the back seat. Connor smiled at them and raised his eyes to heaven to thank God for Niall’s friend.


	3. You'll See Boys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys find Liam brandishing a wooden spoon.

Niall’s arm was wrapped around Harry’s neck in a gentle chokehold, he could feel his chest rising and falling slowly. Harry’s curls tickling his neck slightly as he turned to look out the window.

They were driving through a suburb trying to find somewhere to rest for the night and maybe find some supplies for the coming cold. Niall glanced at the dashboard where the small electronic display told him it was 70 degrees out.

“I think this is it, boys.” Connor said, slowing to a stop outside a two-story home. Harry jumped awake as soon as the car stopped, his hands flying up to grasp Niall’s arm.

“‘sokay.” Niall mumbled, “We found a place to stay for the night.”

“Oh thank god,” Harry mum led, “Your bony body was causing me pain.”

Niall laughed softly, “Shut up.”

They climbed out of the car, the twins already ahead of them, scouting out the area for zombies.

Harry slammed the door, which earned him a vehement glare from the twins and a shove from Niall.

Harry paled and looked around him, “Sorry.” He whispered.

Niall clapped him on the back, giving a reassuring smile in response then led him into the house after the twins.

They had just walked inside when they heard a loud clatter and a shout from the kitchen. Niall’s hunting knife was in his hand in a second and he stood protectively in front of Harry.

“Oi! What d’you think you’re doing!” A voice shouted. Niall dropped his knife and turned to look at Harry, his eyes wide.

Harry was pale, “We know that voice.” He shoved past Niall and ran into the kitchen, stopping abruptly in his tracks in the middle of the room. Niall was there a second later, excitement blooming in his chest.

Liam’s hair was matted to his forehead, grown out from the last time they saw him, but he wasn’t nearly as dirty as Harry was.

He was holding a wooden spoon covered in blood in his hand, holding it out in front of him as if it were a threatening weapon against the two guns in his face.

“LI!” Harry shrieked, pushing the twins aside and throwing his arms around Liam’s neck. Niall followed suit, scrambling to press himself between the two larger boys?

Liam’s face was pressed into the space between Harry’s neck and Niall’s head and Niall thought he heard him sniffle but it didn’t matter because Niall was almost crying himself. What were the chances of this? Finding Harry and then finding Liam only a week later?

Niall pulled away from the tight hug, face red and a smile on his face, to turn and look at the twins. Murphy looked skeptical, a cigarette between his teeth that made Niall think of Zayn, and Connor had an amused look on his face. “So I guess this means we’re going to need more food, eh?”

Murphy rolled his eyes at his brother and looked Liam up and down. “I guess he looks okay,” he finally said. Connor could tell just by looking at him that he was upset about finding another one of Niall’s friends. Not because he didn’t like Niall, but because having Niall find his friends and knowing that most of theirs were gone forever…

Connor wrapped an arm around Murphy and looked at the boys as they went through their reunion. “We’re going to go to Boston next,” he muttered to Murphy. Murphy looked at him in shock, knowing how bad Boston had been when they had left it. Connor just shook his head. “We need to see Roc, at least one more time,” the older twin said.

Murphy leaned into him, the cigarette still between his teeth. He nodded slowly; although the looks he was giving the boys now were tinged with a hint of worry. Connor couldn’t blame him, taking them to Boston would be hard and it would put all of them in at least a bit of danger.

But so would just walking down the street. There was danger everywhere now, and they would have to deal that. It would be a quick trip, in and out, one quick visit to Rocco’s grave and maybe a stop at Doc’s just to grab some of the leftover bottles that were hopefully still there.

Connor really missed whiskey.

“Boys,” he said, waiting until they turned to look at him before continuing, “get upstairs and get to bed. We’re leaving really early tomorrow and I don’t want to hear any complaining, Harry, you can sleep in the car if you get your asses up.”

Niall nodded and turned back to grin at his two friends, taking each by the arm and pulling them after him. Connor watched with amusement, wondering why he wasn’t letting Liam lead the way, since he obviously knew his way around the house.

“Come on,” Murphy muttered, snapping him out of his thoughts. “You need some sleep, too.” Connor looked down at Murphy and smiled lightly before heading off to find a bedroom, leading his brother with him. First thing tomorrow they’d go back to Boston.

‘First thing first,’ Connor thought idly, collapsing onto the first bed he found and closing his eyes. Within minutes, he was asleep.


	4. I've Just Seen A Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys run into something they weren't expecting at a gas station and Harry and Liam share knowing looks.

They set out for Boston with low expectations. Connor and Murphy knew their way around the city with their eyes closed, but the boys had barely ever been there. Niall was bouncing in between the other two boys in the backseat and Connor kept glancing back at him. He was pretty distracting, but his happiness made Connor smile. Harry and Liam each had a head resting on one of Niall’s shoulders and Connor had to wonder how they could keep still when Niall couldn’t.

“Con,” Murphy muttered, nudging his shoulder and snapping Connor’s eyes back to the road. “There’s a gas station up there,” he said. Connor scanned the horizon and saw the station that Murphy was speaking about. He glanced down at the gas monitor and saw that they were getting dangerously low. 

“Okay,” he said, planning to pull into the station and turn the gas on physically from behind the counter inside. They had gotten it down pat after the last two times and Murphy figured he could get gas from any convenience store at this point. Just another thing to add to the amount of skills they really shouldn’t have to know.

“Connor,” Niall said from the backseat, “do you think they’ll have any food left? I’m really hungry.” Lately, the boys hadn’t had as much to eat. Their supply of food had been running low and they hadn’t found any spots to stock up. Harry had been forced to eat squirrel and he hadn’t been pleased. 

Connor shrugged because honestly, he didn’t know. They might have food but it could possibly all be expired. “You and Liam can run in to check,” he said as he pulled into the gas station. Before anyone could actually get out of the car though, Murphy reached for a gun. Connor raised an eyebrow at him, he hadn’t seen any sign of walkers, but Murphy just nodded towards the front of the gas station.

Where a boy with Ray Ban sunglasses and a cigarette in his mouth was pointing a gun in their direction. “Fuck,” Connor said. He didn’t want to take out a kid but seriously, how many more random boys could they collect.

Apparently at least one more. “That’s Zayn!” Niall shouted, waking Harry and Liam up from their naps as he bounded to get out of the car. 

“Niall, wait!” Murphy tried, worrying that the young blonde was going to startle the boy and get shot. Niall didn’t listen, however, and shot out the door and was already halfway to the darker skinned boy.

Connor and Murphy could only watch and hope for the best.

Luckily for them, instead of shooting, the boy dropped his gun and instead picked Niall up in a hug. Soon Liam and Harry were out of the car as well, all attacking the boy with hugs. Connor looked at Murphy, who was watching in a slight daze. “What are the fuckin’ odds?” Connor asked his twin brother. 

Murphy just shook his head again, before slowly getting out of the car. Connor followed his lead (shouldn’t it be the other way around, he was the older twin after all?) and made his way over to the boys. “Whose this, then?” he asked, wrapping an arm around Murphy’s shoulders.

“This is Zayn,” Niall said, and the look of pure adoration on his face made Connor think he was already a fan of this one. “He took over this gas station and has been living here and he says it’s safe and there’s food, can we stay here tonight please?” Niall asked the MacManus twins, shooting them the best puppy dog eyes they’d seen.

“I don’t see why not,” Murphy said after a minute of nonverbal communication with his brother. Niall practically jumped and hugged Zayn tightly. Connor noticed the knowing looks that Harry and Liam were giving each other and raised an eyebrow at Murphy. Murphy just smirked back. So he was getting the same vibes.

“Let’s go inside,” Zayn said, opening the door of the gas station and ushering the group inside. 

“You know,” Connor said casually to Murphy, “we don’t have room for anymore kids in the car after this one. We’ll have to ditch it and take a minivan or something.”

Murphy laughed and shoved him lightly, following the boys into the store. Connor followed him with a small smile on his face. They could always leave for Boston in the morning.


End file.
